#this is also a mishmash of lines ! so there are stuff in between them that r in the full fic

[gehenna-calling]

1, 10, 13 for lyssa!

what drives them? what’s their ultimate goal?

one of the most interesting things about lyssa, to me at least, is that she doesn’t really *have* a big overarching goal. her progress through life has been sporadically motivated by obsessions that overtake her, things she wants to, places she wants to visit - she moves from place to place looking for things for her collection, but moves on after a few years. maybe she’s not actively aware of it, but she’s always felt a lack of true purpose, felt slightly disconnected from kindred society and the schemes of others. like, that just doesn’t really matter to her, when she could just get up and go whenever she likes. the thing that *does* drive her, of course, is her curiosity. she loves the world for all the things it has in it, and she wants to see as much of it as she can. however, that’s less a concrete goal, and more the low-level force that keeps her unbound to anything long-term.

10. what inspired this character’s creation?

i can pinpoint lyssa’s precise start to that one old post that goes something along the lines of “a vampire that’s been around for hundreds of years and picked up a mishmash of slang from the ages they’ve lived through.” i got attached to the concept of an eclectic collector and hoarder, mix-and-matching various time periods and eras.

13. what are some motifs you associate with them? did you intentionally bring in those motifs, or did it happen over time?

oo this is an interesting one. i think the only deliberate motifs i’ve associated her with are the surface-level malk ones - broken glass, eyes, being watched. they’re symbols i enjoy a lot regardless, so they’re fun to play with regardless. more abstractly there’s definitely some stuff regarding the parallels between her relationship with her sire and her childe, the memory issues many of my characters end up having, and also the mismatch between appearance and reality, seeing through to the true self of people, etc. oh, and one more thing i forgot - she’s associated with magpies! because she is a collector of shiny things. if i had to connect her to an animal, i’d be more likely to be a bowerbird, as they’re more colourful, but “little magpie” is the nickname her sire gave her and i’m not saying it doesn’t fit.

#thanks for the ask!! #lyssa #answered ask

[sustainably-du-mortain]

Let's hear about those character playlists, yeah? Expand on best songs and lyrics that really mean something to you/your characters

OOOH I'm so excited for this you have no idea!!! I love talking about character playlist!! I'm gonna do Jonah because he's my music guy (and also bc I'm still working on Mads and Côme' playlists)

Jonah's playlist

Before I go into more details, here is the whole playlist!!

Because I'm a chaotic gremlin, this is a mishmash of songs that fit his personality/backstory, songs where only a couple lines fit his vibe, songs that inspired a few fics I wrote, songs that remind me of the triad or just songs I think he would listen to.

Now it's time to get sad!!

Up, up & away - Chance Peña

I just want to show them I can make it on my own I want to go up, up & away Jonah left the family house when he was 16, so this song is about him deeply wanting to leave a house that didn't feel like home. He was living alone in a house that was constantly haunted with silence and an absent mother, and he craved a way out of that place that was slowly suffocating him. So as soon as he could, he left and never returned. Even when Rebecca or his favorite nanny begged him to come back and despite the fact that he was barely making ends meet in the beginning.

[cw: toxic relationship, cheating and guilt-tripping for these next two songs]

Lucky Escape & All for you - Years & Years

From all of the pictures I've seen of the two of you / Is he a model? / I'm not surprised, you're so vain / [...] / You probably think I must be broken / Promiscuous boy, be ashamed / Well I can tell you honey, I'm potent / At least I own up to mistakes / Don't lie to me now/ Just have some courage and show them who you really are / [...] / You're so deluded, you're such a fake / And now you got somebody else to manipulate / I think I dodged a bullet / I made a lucky escape - Lucky Escape I've been thinking / Was it all a different scene in my head / You've got powers / You instructed all the demons instead / Ooh, everyone sees a man so tall, so perfect, they said / [...] / And I have spent a year, wondering if I had all of the blame / And love's a bitter fruit if you remain in your shame - All for you I always pair these two songs together because they're about Jonah's relationship with Bobby. They got together at the end of their last year of high school and went to college together. The first year they had together was going smoothly because Bobby seemed to be really accepting of Jonah's polyamory and the couple flings he had when they were together. So Jonah was really relieved about that, but after a while Bobby's behavior started changing and he realized Bobby wasn't fine with it and actually discovered that Bobby was using the fact that he was polyamorous and that they were in an open relationship to cheat on him. So these songs are about that. Lucky escape is about how Jonah learned Bobby was cheating. He came upon a pic of Bobby with another guy on one of those pages colleges have about cute couples/gossip. And when he scrolled down, he discovered pictures of him with other guys on what seemed to be dates Bobby had never mentioned. But Bobby denied it all until Jonah caught him in the act during a party and finally got fed up of all of this. All for you is about how Bobby constantly gaslit Jonah when he tried to confront him about the pictures, at first saying they were random pictures and that he should trust those, until he started guilt-tripping Jonah over his polyamory, saying stuff like "If you're cheating, I can do it too". Jonah spent months blaming himself and his sexuality over this, thinking that maybe if he stopped going on dates with other people it would stop and this slowly destroyed him and his confidence. Until Tina forced him to see that none of that was his fault and helped him get out of the relationship.

I was torn between these next two songs, so have both

Before the song is over - Aron Wright

Leap of Faith - Christopher

So let go of all you carry / The gravity of such regret / [...] / Don't you get tired of standing / In a place bound to collapse? / [...] / The unknown is not dementing / It's the place where faith begins / What if the best is yet to come? / You just need a little more time under the sun / Close your eyes, one more time / Give me a chance to change your mind / It's just a dance, yours to be had / Don't leave before the song is over - Before the song is over We're watching the clouds changing shapes / Wait for the storm and taste the rain / But if we're standing still, now it'll be too late / [...] / Are we taking more than we can give? / [...] / Would you leave us behind or take a leap of faith? / I still your color just the same / Do you see us shine? / If you're praying for a change, you better not wait / Keep turning the pages, there's choices you make / Only once in your life - Leap of faith These two songs carry a similar feeling to me, but also hit slightly different. I see both as a conversation between Adam and Jonah. Before the song is over revolves more around these two's relationship. It's about Jonah trying to get Adam to see that there could be something worth it between the two of them. He gets where Adam is coming from, he knows how scary it is to open up again, but, if Adam is willing, they could try and see where it leads. He just wants Adam to give it a chance. The feeling with Leap of faith is the same, but to me, it revolves a bit more around Adam and Nate's relationship. It's about Adam freaking out because his relationship with Nate is suddenly changing and Jonah telling him to give it a go if he wants. Just the way the lyrics are worded makes me think of a pre-existing relationship evolving and leaving the safety of that pre-existing, comforting realtionship for something more.

Undertow - Diplomacy

fun fact: this one is actually sung by Jack Falahee who is my face claim for Jonah

I'm fighting fires burning in my head / [...] / So I'm starting over new and breaking all my rules / And I've been such a fool, so I hope you'll forgive me / If I need to catch my breath / Take it slow, I've been looking all my life for you / [...] / Still I'm taking my time for you This one is about Jonah's relationship with Nate. He has not dated anyone since he ended things with Bobby, so he hasn't had any serious relationships in years, apart from hookups here and there. So meeting Adam and Nate rattled him up a bit. He wasn't expecting to fall in love again, let alone with two people at the same time, so he needs to take it slow because what happened with Bobby still haunts him. And while he enjoys the pace this is going with Adam, things were going too fast with Nate and he chickened out after the carnival, because he had to figure out if he really wanted this, if he was ready to open up again. So this one is kind of a plea to Nate to let him take things slow.

I think this one pairs well with: Poet - Bastille

Your body lies upon the sheets Of paper in words so sweet I can't say the words So I wrote you into my verse Now you'll live through the ages I can feel you pulse through the pages Poet is very N and Jonah coded to me. It's about writing odes to your lovers and I think they do that in their own ways: Jonah through music and the songs he writes, Nate through letters and paintings. It's about worshipping your lover through writing and I think that fits the both of them perfectly.

And last but not least

Eight - Sleeping at last

If I had to resume Jonah with one song, it would be this one. I don't even know where to begin. I could quote this whole song because this is literally Jonah's life story. Also 8 is his enneagram type. I was little, I was weak and perfectly naive / And I grew up too quick He was raised by nannies who didn't give a flying fuck about him, except for one, and with Rebecca never being home, he ended up being forced to grow up too fast. He was constantly scared of nannies snapping at him if he forgot to do something or if he did something wrong, so he quickly became a self-sufficient kid to avoid having to interact with them. When I see fragile things, helpless things, broken things / I see the familiar This small little bit is about Douglas. He feels for the kid because he can't help but see himself in him. Although he isn't big on the hero worship, he took the kid under under his wing because he cannot bear to see a child go through something similar to what he went through with Rebecca. I can't let you in, I swore never again This is about Rebecca and Bobby. They're the two person in his life who have hurt him the most and he swore he would never let them hurt him again, and this is exactly what he's doing. He cut ties with Rebecca when he left the house, so this was the first time he had seen her in a very long while when she showed up at the station and he does not intend on fixing their relationship. As for Bobby, he tries his best to avoid him, but Bobby makes it hard with the constant snooping around. Show me how to lay my sword down / For long enough to let you through / Here I am, pry me open / [...] / Here's a map, here's a shovel / Here's my Achilles' heel / I'm all in, palms out / I'm at your mercy now and I'm reading to begin / I am strong, I am strong, I am strong enough to let you in This whole part is about Adam and Nate. It's about him allowing them to see how vulnerable he is, willingly opening up to them, despite how scared he is, because he's ready to give it a go. It's about letting them see how scarred he is by his past relationship with Bobby, by his past and hoping they won't hurt him like tthat again.

#Eight destroys me every single time I hear it #i'm not sorry for the pain this playlist will cause #maybe just a little bit #but thank you so much for the ask i've been dying to talk about Jonah's playlist #if you want to know more about other songs in the playlist let me know #or if you want me to go a little more in-depth with one of these songs #oc: jonah rafferty #oc playlist #jackal🚬 #ali's headcanons

[its-a-beautiful-world]

IT/DE/ENG

This is a mural in Orgosolo, Sardinia (IT). It's a really beautiful, quiet town with so many amazing art pieces throughout! If you ever get the chance, I really recommend a visit (Also, there's bandits.)

"Felice il Popolo che non ha bisogno di eroi"

...is a quote out of a play called "Leben des Galilei" (The Life of Galilei) written by german poet and playwright Berthold Brecht in 1939. We follow the famed Galileo Galilei throughout his life, observe his groundbreaking discoveries that prove the earth revolves around the sun, and how he ultimatelz gives in to the pressures of the church to denounce this model and ends up disillusioned, disappointed in himself and blind.

Anyways. I don't think the quote needs any context as such, but the preceding line of dialouge adds to it, in my opinion:

-Unglücklich das Land, das keine Helden hat!

-Unglücklich das Land, das Helden nötig hat.

~ Bertold Brecht, Leben des Galilei (1939)

-Unfortunate the land that has no heroes!/...the people that have no heroes!

-Unfortunate the land that has a need for heroes./...the people that have a need for heroes.

(More in-depth context for whoever cares: The conversation happens between Galilei and his student, Andrea Sarti, after Galilei has publicly given into the demands of the inquisition and denounced his heliocentric model. Sarti is very disappointed in his mentor because he expected Galilei to stand up for what he knew was scientifically correct - he was supposed to play his part of the stoic hero who stands for honesty but he didn't.)

Now, longer synopsis/analysis/even MORE context below the cut because I wanna see what I can still remember from school 😅 (and what a Wikipedia-sprint-readthrough can get me) This is not proofread, might not be coherent, mainly for myself... read at your own risk.

Right, first things first. Historical context and reality. In the late 1500s we have two relevant models in regards to Galilei.

the geocentric model by Ptolemeus which takes into account a lot of astronomical observations such as differences in planetary orbit etc, but places the earth in the center of it all. This results in very...let's call them interesting orbits the planets would have to follow in order for it all to work out

the heliocentric model by Copernicus that was first described in 1543, he still incorporated the 'godly harmony' that was a hit since Aristotle, which means everything moves in perfect circles, the sun is immaculate, such things. Later Kepler came up with ellipses as the most likely planetary movement (Kepler and Galilei were active in the same timeperiod, 1571-1630 and 1564-1641) In this model there should also be an outer sphere with the stationary stars that would be called into question by Galilei (amongst others) shortly before he completely lost his eyesight because there was an observable supernova out there...

There was also a third one by another contemporary, Tycho Brahe that was a mishmash of those two - earth around the sun but planets around the earth or no self rotation of the earth, I don't know...also, flat-earth-theory was widely accepted as disproven, even in the church.

So. What did Galilei do?

He was very taken by a new invention, the telescope and improved upon it. With this cool thing he now made discoveries like moons of Saturn, the surface of Venus, the fact that the sun was not a glowing ball of perfect, but that there were spots on its surface...a lot of stuff that was more or less accepted (even by high standing members of the church) BUT he was convinced of the heliocentric model and all of his discoveries were in alignment with that, and there was an already ongoing debate within the church about which worldview/-model to adapt. Copernicus' model was to be viewed as merely that - a mathematical model for simplicity that did not necessarily reflect reality (admittedly not THAT absurd of a notion once you have to sit through a few lectures on physics...). The famous denouncement Galilei was forced to make was funnily enough over a text he wrote with funding an encouragement from the pope. The POPE. Who asked him to compare and contrast the geocentric and the heliocentric models. Wikipedia tells me that he made the crucial mistake to ridicule a theory posed by said pope (all contradictions do not have to be solved because God can just intervene and make it not make sense...) and to explicitly state his favouritism of Copernicus' model (through the mouth of an Idiot character, but still, once you piss off the pope, that's not gonna fly...). He had also written this text, called 'Discorsi' (discourses) in the popular Italian instead of the scientific Latin, which would have made it accessible to all the literate people, not just those woth a higher education. (This is important for the play)

There's this popular myth that after Galilei denounced his text and was free to go, he muttered to himself while leaving "Eppur' si muove" (It f***ing moves. Freely translated...) which I would like to accept as historical fact simply for the badassery of the quote, thank you....

Now, what about Brecht's Galilei?

Throughout the text there are instances where it is made clear that members, if not the majority of the church are well aware that the heliocentric model of the universe makes a lot of sense, but they fear what a non-earth and thus non-human-centric worldview might imply for the tried and tested narrative of humans as God's favored creation. Subtextually and for us as viewers 200+ years in the future, it is clear that the clerics and the 'God appointed' nobility fear for their power.

However, there is a fascinating dialouge with Galilei and a cleric that contrasts viewpoints on scientific discovery.

Later Galilei will explain that there are two types of scientists: those who want to improve life and labour for humans and those who simply want to collect knowledge for knowledge's sake. This dialouge takes place before his denouncement and while the cleric is a stand-in for the church and Co., his character is also a mathematician and a physicist. He understands Galilei's points and even agrees with him from from scientific standpoint. But where their opinions differ is when it comes to the consequences that such a shift in worldview might do to the simple people.

It brings up the reality that people at the time had neither the time nor the resources to follow the astronomical debate and such a shift in worldview, if acknowledged by the church, might call everything they believe in into question. What would give the people strength to keep going in a life as miserable as theirs with no end goal in sight that they are working towards, once they see themselves as merely a few billion microscopic flecks on a small planet of many in a Universe that doesn't care about them or the earth... while Galilei is convinced that with this the people would finally have the means to outgrow/overthrow the 'god-given' status quo and get out of their oppression, the cleric predicts a deep depression.

Throughout the course of the play, it is never revealed who would have been right, because by denouncing his work, Galilei takes that opportunity away from the people. Once blind and at the very end of his life, he monolouges about what responsibility he had to stand up for what he knew or at least believed to be true. He hates himself for the betrayal of what he sees to be the only science worthwhile: science for the bettering of humanity. However, even though he is at some point presented with an opportunity to publish his work, he again decides against it, and with that reinforces his decision once again.

In a rewrite in 1945, after Hieroshima and Nagasaki (the author lived in America by that point, and was confronted with the aftermath of that), Brecht lets Galilei end on the - very depressing - notion that with his denouncement he threw away what could have been a step towards a science in the name of and for the people that will now have its consequnces as an inherited generational sin that inevitably culminates in the creation of such devastating weaponry...

#quoteoftheday #literature #galileo galilei #leben des galilei #don't click on 'read more' unless you're willing to sit through a probably not very coherent wild ride #sardinia #murales #orgosolo #i should be sleeping #history? #i am sorry #unglücklich das land das helden nötig hat #sardegna #IT #ENG #DE #i did a thing

[hanghenfil]

I'd like to know more about the bird folk and maybe some on the town of Marlough itself. If there is anything interesting around.

AH BIRDFOLK...U GOT IT ive been thinking about them a lot lately!!!! here's a braindump of some random headcanons...

birdfolk live in "flocks"! that is, large communities made up of different families and the occasional straggler they let join. they're a very communal species!

birdfolk families are BIG-around 12-13 kids is probably the average. they (unfortunately) lay eggs-round 3 eggs is probably the average "clutch" (is that the word.......)

so many kids and such tight knit communities means kids are often raised with a lot of help from the other birdfolk! they're big subscribers to the "it takes a village to raise a child" mindset. evry adult is ur aunt or uncle, blood relative or not

being so family oriented, it's encouraged that kids will stay in their own flock-but of course finding partners in other flocks often means they'll move to their partners, but they have to stay in touch, of course

the usual expectation is to settle down in a flock-whether their own or their partners-and just, also have a bunch of kids (or help raise flockmates kids) and contribute to the community at large

it's traditional that the two eldest will stay in their own flock no matter what-though that is being worn down with time.

[donaidh broke Both of these traditions by being the eldest but still moving away to university and just. not coming back. his relationship w his parents is v strained bc of it]

moving out-whether for reasons like going to university or moving to a new flock- is a HUGE deal in birdfolk culture and usually involves a big extravagant "going away" party, and sometimes some bitterness and stern "u better visit Or Else" words from more traditional relatives

moving on from culture 2 more biological stuff,,,

theres a lot of variation in birdfolk! some will have huge ol talons and more birdlike feet and hands, while others will be much less "monstrous". it usually comes down to ancestry and diet-carnivorous birds would be more monstrous and have sharper talons centuries ago.

but since humans almost wiped out hanghenfil altogether and they simply mingled with whoever they can find- theres no real clean cut line between "carnivorous" and "non carnivorous" birds anymore, and you can find a mishmash of features.

like lotsa real birds, bright colours, shiny feathers and well kept wings are the Height of attractive 4 birdfolk

speaking of wings-while all birdfolk can fly to SOME capacity, even if it's just gliding or hovering-it's an act which has to be trained and exercised, much like running for humans

as a result, lots of birdfolk can't fly for longer than a few minutes at a time because-who has time to do long distance running flying training?

their wings don't tend to be fully usable until around age 14, but even then they are fragile and must be trained up slowly. adults in the flock will often help the kids learn how to fly

most if not all hair on birdfolk is made of feathers,,its so soft,,,,like down feathers in a pillow

birdfolk live an average of 150 years!

i think thats all i got for The Birds....

as for marlough! there's not a lot that i haven't already touched on in my world page but ill try and come up with a few bits and pieces for u here 👀

marlough is an OLD town-though not as old as neighbouring city morwick! while humans might say otherwise, the town has been around since the third century or so as a hanghenfil settlement, mostly made of temporary log cabins and cobblestone buildings for larger families

 humans didn't start building there until maybe the 1400s-when they destroyed all evidence of hanghenfil settlement and sent them fleeing to nearby forests

while most of the original marlough buildings are lost to time,two original human buildings are still standing-marlough's most popular pub, the four docks, and the town hall, both of which are centred around the market square. while parts have been rebuilt and updated over time, they remain largely the same as centuries ago

tourists and visitors always swear that the pub is haunted and full of a strange energy, but the locals and regulars know thats just part of the charm!

marlough has the highest hanghenfil to human ratio in the (fantasy) uk,,,,around 30% hanghenfil to 70% humans, where in other places hanghenfil populations barely reach single digits

marlough is one of the only places where the siorc (fish ppl, faldurs species!) come above water. they have a two and a half century old trade agreement with marlough’s residents, where they trade gold and fish for human stuff they (obviously) can’t find in the sea. it worked better than fighting humans for it anyway.

i think thats all i got-but if theres any particular lil bits u wanna know pls feel free to ask!!! i love dumping headcanons about this stuff...thank u this was very fun sorry its so long 

#text #fredmusings #worldbuilding #marlough #birdfolk #SORRY ITS SO GODDAMN LONG I GOT...CARRIED AWAY #i luv...sharin stuff #long post

[random-mha-thoughts]

Boy in Luv (Midoriya x Reader)

Pairing: Midoriya x fem!Reader

Genre: Fluff/crack

Summary: Midoriya has a crush on a girl in his class, but he has no idea how to confess to her, enlisting the help of his two good friends.

Inspo: Based on BTS “Boy in Luv” MV

Word count: 1,802

Tags:  @liviitehe @iamsoftsodonttoucheume-blog @bunnythepipsqueak @yuki-osaki

a/n: As promised, here’s the post!  And with this, I’ve officially added Midoriya to the list of characters in the Touch Starved collection.

Enjoy the cuteness and, mostly, the crackhead friendship between the main 3 characters!  And even though I’m really late, happy 6th anniversary to Skool Luv Affair!

Midoriya, Bakugou, and Todoroki sit on the front stoop of their dorm building, enjoying the good weather since it was raining the past few days.  They've been practicing all day and decided to take a break and snack together.

Midoriya munches on his stick of string cheese.  "Do you guys get the math stuff?  I'm still having trouble with integrals and stuff."

"Tch, you're falling behind again, Deku," Bakugou scoffs, ripping open a bag of spicy chips.

Todoroki, the only one of them who decides to snack healthy with some fruit, chews for a moment before offering, "I can help you if you're stuck, Midoriya."

"Like you're any better, Icyhot.  You went completely frozen trying to figure out that problem in class yesterday," Bakugou points out smugly.

"I was simply calculating the answer mentally before writing down my work," Todoroki answers, cool and collected as ever.

"Don't make me laugh!  Just admit that you can be dumb sometimes too!"

Midoriya laughs awkwardly, stuck between his two friends as they argue - more like one of them screaming while the other brushes them off calmly.  The boy raises his eyes out to the distance, widening his eyes at what, or who , he sees.

The girl jogs towards the dorm building with Yaoyorozu beside her.  Her face lights up into a smile at whatever they're talking about.  A black windbreaker jacket is thrown over her golden honey colored sports bra that shows off her lean abdomen, and black leggings with a matching yellow stripe tracing down the side hugs her toned legs.  Midoriya doesn't want to admit it, but he can't stop staring.

The two girls slow to a stop in front of the group of still-bickering boys.  "My, they're always fighting, aren't they?" Yaoyorozu shakes her head.

The girl lets out a few chuckles.  "That's just how they are, I'd be more surprised if they stopped, honestly."  She turns to the green-haired boy and offers him a beaming smile, her eyes crinkling up.  "You still holding up, Midoriya?"

At first he's dazed, staring at the way her chest heaves as she breathes and the thin sheen of sweat on her face glistening in the fading afternoon light.  At his name, he sobers up and his cheeks flush from what he was staring at.  "Oh, uh, yeah, somehow," he sputters.  "Did you guys just come back from training?"

"Yeah, we had a pretty good session."  She stretches her arms over her head, letting a few hums of pain escape her.  "I'd love a good shower and my bed right about now, but I still have homework to do.  See you tomorrow!"

The boy watches as the girls retreat back into the building.  I never thought yellow would look good on someone besides Kaminari, he finds himself thinking.

"Midoriya, are you okay?" Todoroki's concerned voice scatters his thoughts.

"Huh?"

"Your cheeks are red and hot like you have a fever."  The heterochromatic haired boy leans forward, about to touch his face.  "Are you coming down with something?"

"No, you clueless idiot, he's in love," Bakugou barks, "He's got the hots for (Y/n)."

Midoriya jolts up.  "Is it that obvious?"

"Maybe not to Icyhot, but yeah, you look at her like she's your entire world or something."

The boy's emerald eyes drop to the ground and he hugs his knees to his chest.  "She's a really down to Earth person, and she's really easy to talk to.  And...the way her smile lights up her entire face."  His goofy smile and warm feelings fade as he sinks his head down to rest on his knees.  "I don't really know how I should tell her though."

Todoroki takes a bite of his orange slice, pondering the situation.  "Give her a lamp?  Since you said she lights up easily?"

Both boys shoot him a confused glance.  "I don't think that would impress her."  Midoriya gives it a thought.  "She likes coffee, maybe I can get her a thermos for the morning?"

"Give her a new set of pens, she has a bad habit of always losing her own."

"Maybe buy her a new pencil case to match?"

"Buy a plant for her dorm to brighten it up, like a cactus."

Bakugou finally throws his head back and groans at their stupidity.  "You guys are such idiots!  Neither of you know the first damn thing about romance?"

The two other boys slowly shake their heads dumbly

The ash blond groans again.  "Okay, let me tell you what you should do, Deku, since you're obviously clueless."  After explaining a somewhat elaborate plan to the two other boys, he leans back, a triumphant grin on his face.

Midoriya's eye widen, blush coating his cheeks again at the thought of the scenario unfolding.  "Wow Kacchan, I never expected you to be a romantic."

"Yeah, it's because you idiots are totally clueless.  You need me to educate you."

"If you're so good, why are you still single?" Todoroki asks simply.

Silence.

"SHUT UP ICYHOT! DON'T MAKE ME KILL YOU!"

Two days later, the three boys decide to go through with Bakugou's scheme.  After class, Bakugou silently follows the girl, waiting for her to stop talking to the rest of the girls to get her alone.  After spending an annoyingly long amount of time outside their classroom talking to Mina and Tzuyu, she finally bids them goodbye and makes her way to the library to study.

Unfortunately for her, she never makes it.

Just before she opens the door, she notices a shadow looming behind her.  Turning around, she's startled to have Bakugou's piercing crimson eyes boring into her's.  She backs into the door and he slams an arm by her head.  She's shaking like a leaf.  "W-What do you want, Bakugou?  I didn't do anything to you."  Despite trying to seem strong, her voice comes out feebly.

A sinister smirk crawls across Bakugou's face.  "How'd you like to go on a little trip?"

Before she can scream bloody murder, he grabs her arm and pulls her away on a little "joyride."

Meanwhile, Todoroki and Midoriya move all the chairs and desks of an empty classroom towards the walls to make a clear space in the middle.

The nervous, freckle-faced boy nervously paces around the room, going over the lines in his head while his fears wreck his quivering body.  "I can't do this, Todoroki!  What if she says no?  What if she laughs at me?!  What if she tells everyone?!  I'll be absolutely humiliated!"

"Midoriya, calm down," he stares at the jittery boy with a level gaze.  "Bakugou said he's very confident this will work.  He's sure she also harbors feelings for you too."  He places a warm hand on Midoriya's shoulder to stop his anxious habit.  "Besides, since she likes you, she would appreciate your nervous stuttering because she would find it endearing and think it's genuine of you.  Sounding too practiced ruins the natural anxiety of the moment."

The boy stares back the Todoroki's stoic expression, letting his words sink in.  "So I need to make sure I don't overpractice or else she'll still reject me?" he whines.

The half-hot-half-cold boy sighs, being cut off by his phone ringing.  "It's Bakugou, he says they'll be here shortly.  And he says, 'Don't mess this up, Deku.'"

The boy cries out, feeling his entire body suddenly lose all heat to hysterical cold.  Todoroki turns off the lights and closes the window shades, plunging the room into darkness only to light the few candles scattered across the room, casting a dim golden ambiance.

For the final step, Todoroki produces a single rose out of the inside pocket of his uniform jacket.  Walking over to Midoriya, who's mumbling strings of inaudible, neurotic fears to himself, he juts the rose out in front of him, cutting off his speech.  "Relax, Midoriya.  Just say what comes naturally."

Midoriya blinks, delicately holding the rose by the stem, Todoroki moving to stand behind the door to be out of the way.  The smaller boy feels sweaty, shaky, sick.  His uniform tie is suffocating around his throat, stomach heavy in anticipation and fear, heart hammering in his chest and ears.

Finally, the door swings open and his heart almost stops completely.

Bakugou walks in first, holding the girl by the arm.  The first thing Midoriya notices about her is her insanely windblown hair and dazed eyes.  Bakugou said he would take her out on a ride around school, hitching her on his back, jumping out a window, and using his quirk to rocket them around the school building once.  He says it would get her blood pumping, adrenaline rushing, and cheeks blushing; the perfect primer for riling her up for the big finale.

"Take it away, nerd," Bakugou makes a dramatic sweep of his hands towards Midoriya, and he knows it's his turn to shine.

The girl blinks back into focus and surveys the layout of the room, scanning the messily pushed around desks, the candles, and finally resting on the boy with the rose in his hands.  Her blush intensifies at the last thing.  "M-Midoriya, what's all this for?"

The boy goes cold all over again, perfomance anxiety getting to him.  "I... Uh, (Y/n)- You-"  All the different ways he could possibly start his monologue jumbles together to produce a mishmash of word vomit.  Pull yourself together, don't mess this up!  He takes a deep breath in and clears his throat to start over.  Whatever comes natural.  "(Y/n), you are the most amazing,  bright, fun, cute person I know.  Just seeing you smile makes my day and manages to tongue-tie me.  I'd really like to be...more than friends."  He holds out the flower with both shaky hands and dares to look in her eyes.  "W-Will you...go out with me?"

Her silence seems to last agonizingly forever.  Her entire face seems to lift as she flickers back and forth between the boy and the flower he clutches to keep from coming undone.  She finds it endearing.  In a swift movement, she gently grips his hand, leans in close, and places a kiss on his freckled cheek.  "Yes, I'd love to go out with you, Midoriya."

The boy lets out a strangled yelp of excitement, before slapping a hand over his mouth in embarrassment.  "I'm sorry, I'm just really happy!"  Sheepish chuckles bubble out as he throws his arms around her, and she welcomes his embrace with her own delighted laughter.

The other boys look on at the scene before them.  "The nerd did better than I thought he would've," Bakugou mumbles, shoving his hands in his slack pockets.

"At least his confession was accepted.  Don't know what would happen if you tried this, though," Todoroki comments, his dig smoothly executed.

Bakugou grips the boy's shirt.  "YOU WANNA DIE ICYHOT?!"

#midoriya x reader #midoriya izuku #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #midoriya fluff #crack #mha #bnha #izuku midoriya #midoriya imagine #midoriya scenario #mha deku #bnha deku #female reader #mha x reader #bnha x reader #mha fanfiction #bnha fanfiction #bts boy in luv

[freefallingup13]

Kicked (Jaren’s Puppy)

This one has some more descriptions of where Toni and Jaren live, and the coven they live with. There’s some pretty vulgar stuff going on, you’ve been warned. Jaren is not a nice man.

Taglist: @emreads

Summary: Jaren, the leader of a wild, warmongering vampire coven, likes to keep a few werewolves as attack dogs. Some of the  werewolves the coven keeps - like his favorite “Puppy” Toni - are his personal pets.

CW: This is a pet whump/slavery fic, if I continue to post more of this story there will be dubcon. This piece in particular has non-con touching (non-sexual), implied non-con, implied murder, blood mention, alcohol mention, fire mention, human trafficking (as livestock) mention, dehumanization, head injury, Whumpee is a girl, and the Whumper is called “Master”. (Also for anybody squicked by this specific trope, a second lady whumpee is held in a man’s lap as he taunts her and eventually injures her as he throws her away.)

The party was loud, as they always were. Toni focused on trying to keep her eyes closed, trying to ignore the whooping and hollering. The smell of alcohol was overwhelming.

On the bright side, she could focus on the smells more than the screams.

Beyond the stairs she laid herself on was a large dirt clearing in the middle of camp. All around were tents, ramshackle huts of leather and stone, cages made from tied-together dungeon doors. The other wolves were restless, pacing back and forth. Some of them were half-shifted, stuck in between human and wolf form; most of them preferred to be in their wolf form. It was easier to take the abuse that way. 

The huts belonged to the troops. Most of them were empty, thanks to the celebration. The half-open huts near the clearing seemed to be the only ones that were occupied. (She tried to forget that the outer huts would have people within.) The vampires screamed into the night like wild animals as blood and alcohol dribbled down from their chins. Well - “dribbled” was a polite way of saying how messy they were.

In the clearing was a large bonfire, towering to the sky. The ground below it was always charred to black, even on a normal day. Some of the younger vampires were being dared to jump over it, to run through the flames. Some of them took up the dare, coming out with sooty marks and charred clothes. They would throw their fists in the air with a cry of victory before being swept away in the cheering crowd.

They were all so immature. They were out of control.

But that was the way Master liked it.

Morale was high, there was a feast to be had. The coven whose territory they had taken over this week had hidden a town, hidden a quiet trade of prey. Of course Master had opened it up to his troops once the health of the humans had been verified.

She scrunched her eyes tightly. That was as far as she would think about it. Humans were only livestock here. Nothing else. There was no need to think any further - there was no need to listen.

A frustrated shout to her side made her whimper, cowering onto the stone steps. At the end of the clearing, on top of a hill covered with stolen stone steps, was her Master’s throne. A mishmash of leather, stone, antler and bone, it was an intimidating, chaotic sight. He sat on it now, on layers of animal hides, with another girl in his lap.

“Come on,” Jaren cooed as he wrenched her hands away from him. “Don’t you think it’s nice? Everyone’s happy.”

“No!” the girl shrieked, struggling to get away from him. He only had one arm around her waist, but as a human against a vampire, she had no chance of getting away. “You’re killing them, you’re killing us-!”

“Oh, I’m not doing a thing,” Jaren laughed, grabbing her face roughly. He turned her gaze to the crowd by the fire, the writhing and screams that were a mix of torture and excitement. “You think they didn’t do that to you? You think that family didn’t have their fun, with every single one of you that disappeared?”

The girl hissed, shutting her eyes to avoid the sight, squirming to cover her ears. Jaren wouldn’t let her - he knew her wrists were starting to bruise in his hand, the way she yanked at them so hard. “The Calates protected us!” she yelled. “They kept us safe! The sacrifices were for all our good!”

Jaren couldn’t help but throw his head back and laugh, crossing one ankle to his knee and pulling the girl closer. “That’s so fucking cute,” he chuckled as he grabbed her hair, pulling her face close to his. “You meant nothing to them. You were just food. Compliant food, at that. Your village made it so easy for them…”

The girl tried to hide it, but it was overwhelming. The frustrated shriek that broke through her clenched teeth as she tried to hit him only made him grin.

Toni winced, curling up to the side of her Master’s throne. She tried to keep her eye on the fire, fire was nice. Fire flickered, always changed. It would eat everything weak that it was given, then sputter out when there was nothing left to consume. She watched now as pieces of the Calate estate were thrown in. They’d looted paintings, furniture, architecture. The sight of wardrobes full of clothes being emptied onto the fire made her look away.

She didn’t want any reminders that people had been living. They were gone now. They were all dead. They didn’t matter.

A sigh escaped her as she tried to rub at her eyes. It was too much. She’d been good, staying chained up next to Master the entire night so far. This, though, she couldn’t take any more of it. The screaming, the burning, the blood. Worst of all was knowing what people were doing to their prey in the huts on the outside of camp, trying to get their privacy as they-

She shook her head roughly. Don’t think of the dead. They would all be dead, they didn’t matter.

Toni just wanted to go to bed.

Suppressing a whine, she got to her knees, peeking over the armrest of his throne. “M… Master?”

“Huh?” He’d been in the middle of taunting, his hands steadfast on the girl’s hands. Those hands were surely broken by now, with how purpled they were from bruising. “What is it, Pup?”

“Can- Can I-”

She didn’t get to finish.

In one, desperate lash, the girl kicked out while Jaren was distracted, trying to twist away. She was on his lap, it wasn’t her fault that she was lined up so perfectly. Her slippered foot hit Toni in the head with all the girl’s strength in her fight for freedom, all her fear.

The explosion of pain made Toni cry out, though she wasn’t sure if she could hear it or not. All she knew was there was some thud, her head shook, everything was falling. She was falling, rolling down the steps until the chain around her neck tugged taut. Her yelping was cut off with a choke as she was forced to a stop, and she gasped for air. 

Somewhere she heard shouting as she tried to claw at the chain around her neck. A distant scream, closer than the others. She saw a blurry shape through her tears, vaguely human, blood and deep wounds covering the front as it was thrown down the steps to the fire.

Cold hands cupped her face, made her look up. There was something warm and sticky on one of them. It felt comforting to feel something warm. She tried to open her eyes, but she shut them again with a long whine. Everything was too bright, too much.

“Fucking christ, get the vet!” Master. That was Master. He sounded like he was shouting, but everything sounded so quiet and foggy. 

The chain was unwrapped from her neck, and she took as many deep breaths as she could. Somebody was holding her close, keeping her head still with one hand - she could tell the familiar smell of her Master anywhere. She tried to bury her face into his shirt, tried to beg for comfort. Speaking was impossible, with the thud echoing in her head.

There was a commotion of voices around her, though it was only her and her Master there. No- a third hand, turning her face away from her Master. This hand was gentle, opened her eyes with their fingers, patted her cheek when she whined. She was the one who was in Master’s lap now, getting checked by a doctor-

No, no. A veterinarian. Vampires didn’t need doctors. Pets and humans did. 

“She’s a little out of it, it’s possible she’s gotten a concussion,” the voice was saying, much clearer to her Master than to her. “She’s going to need rest, plenty of water. Give her more meat and fish with her meals, it’ll take a little over a week for her to get better - she’ll be pretty confused for a while.”

“That dumb human bitch,” Jaren seethed under his breath, holding Toni tighter to him. “Not a single mark on my Puppy, and one fucking human comes around trying to kill her like an animal.”

“Well, she’ll get bruises from the chain, too, from the looks of it,” the “vet” said, pointing at her neck. Pale blond hair fell over carefully cleaned clothes as she leaned closer to the pair. “I can already see the marks. She fell pretty hard?”

“The little bitch kicked her as hard as she could,” Jaren snarled, starting to stand up. “Rest and more food, you said?”

“Yes. She might have trouble with lights and sounds, as well. And like I said, she’ll be rather-”

“She’ll be confused for days, I know,” Jaren groaned, propping Toni up so her head rested against his chest. “I’ll be taking extra good care of my Puppy, then.”

“Nothing too rough. Preferably, nothing at all.”

“Are you joking?” Jaren scoffed, turning to look at the girl in front of him. “She’s perfect as she is, you think I want her to go mad and ruin it all? I don’t want her head hurt. Of course I won’t do anything.”

Bored red eyes stared back at him as the girl brushed her hair behind her ears, then crossed her arms. “Agreed, Sire,” she said simply. “Go on, I’ll make sure the party doesn’t wear anyone out too much.”

“You play second-in-command too often, Cora,” Jaren growled as he turned to his home, an abandoned castle, repurposed for the wild coven he ran. “Let them have their fun. Why don’t you do the same?”

“Because your drunk troops get my doctors drunk, too. And they attack the dogs,” Cora said, her chin tilting up. “If I didn’t stay sober, there’d be no one to treat them.”

Rolling his eyes, Jaren began walking to the castle doors. “Whatever you say, you boring girl,” he called over his shoulder. “Lighten up a little.”

“You brought me to the darkness yourself, Sire,” Cora called back as she headed back down to the steps. “So you’re stuck with me there as it is.”

#whump #lady whump #whump scenario #whump drabble #whump writing #whump series #Jaren's Puppy #Jaren really is just an asshole tbh #It's like his whole purpose in life and he loves it #tw: noncon touch (nonsexual) #tw: implied noncon #tw:implied murder #tw: blood #tw: alcohol #tw: fire #tw: dehumanization #tw: head injury

[dangerously-human]

Tagged by both @starspray and @astridcontramundum for pretty similar AO3 questions, so I’ll combine them. Thank you both so much! :D 

Name: visionsofmangos, although I am in the process of changing it to human_dreamer_etcetera (starting with AO3, but that’ll probably become my default username for the internet at large)

Fandoms: Currently just Endeavour, with no particular plans to write for anything else anytime soon. I’ve also written several for Continuum and Supernatural, a couple for Covert Affairs, and a handful for a mishmash of other fandoms: Doctor Who, Kingdom Hearts, Sherlock, Fringe, Harry Potter, and the Avengers.

Where you post: Just AO3 now (and snippets here, sometimes). I used to post on FFN back in the day, but I don’t especially like the platform, so I’ve switched over entirely.

Most popular multi-chapter fic: Far and away, by every stat AO3 measures, it’s Those Binary Stars (Endeavour, Joan/Morse).

Favourite story you’ve written so far: Probably Permutations About an Axis.

Fic you were nervous to post: You Know You Can’t Chase the Stars Underwater. The first chapter wasn’t especially fluffy (the unplanned second was, and the third, if I ever get around to it, will probably be somewhere in between), and it felt like a pretty significant deviation from the tone I’d settled into for the Those Binary Stars series by then. It fit more with the mood of the early TBS chapters, and I worried people wouldn’t like that. I also worried because it was kind of a weird... how do I put this? It was in large part about Morse’s relationship with Max, but in the context of a larger story that’s about Morse and Joan, and I didn’t want it to feel like I was propping up one relationship at the expense of another. Especially because I actually do low-key ship Morse and Max (obviously not within this AU), and, idk, I was nervous it would come across like I’m only interested in how that friendship benefits this other ship I’m addressing in this fic. Or something like that. I still think I have some work to do on blending Morse’s relationships with Max and Joan in that story, which is what I’m hoping to do with the eventual third chapter. Anyway, that was a really long answer to a question that probably didn’t warrant it...

How you choose your titles: Oof. I cannot believe I used to love titles more than anything as a kid - they’re the absolute worst now! I spend a lot of time picking out key themes and then scouring Related Words for, well, related words, and then trying to spin something pretty out of that. Sometimes I get lucky and the title naturally comes out of whatever inspiration I’ve been drawing from for the fic (Those Binary Stars from a Russell Lewis interview, You Can’t Chase the Stars Underwater from an Andrew McMahon song, A Little Would be Enough from the relevant show dialogue), and sometimes there’s a pretty way to sum up the content of the fic that fits (Just Once, Still Here, Blurring the Lines). Usually, though, it’s days or weeks of aggravated brainstorming, especially when I’m trying to fall asleep!

Do you outline? Kind of? Now that I use Scrivener, I usually have index cards for each scene I have planned so far, and scribble a bunch of notes in those (often copied from my notes app on my phone, which is where all the random unsorted thoughts go). Then I can reorder and organize those. I usually have a vague idea where I’m going next, but it’s always a lot of exploration and guesswork as I go...

Complete fics: Depending how you count, I think 23 on AO3

In progress: Can I plead the fifth to avoid self-incrimination? ^.^’ I think... maybe 4ish? There’s the spy AU, the characterization poem thing, Three Men and a Baby... Okay, actually, as long as I don’t sprout too many new ones, that’s probably manageable.

Posted WIPs that I have active plans to continue at this time: A Shifting Cadence and You Know You Can’t Chase the Stars Underwater.

Posted WIPs that I have given up on: I had some Supernatural stuff that I originally intended to write more for, many many years ago, but I left them off at an okay spot and I think I’ve marked them complete by this point anyway.

Exchange fics due soon/unrevealed: I’ve never written for an exchange, although I think I’d like to!

WIPs that live in my fanfic folder and are incomplete and who knows when they’ll be finished: I’m gonna say the Endeavour spy AU probably falls in this category. I’m still actively brainstorming, and I’ll write snippets as they come to me, but it’s probably going to be a long time until that’s ready for posting.

Coming soon/not yet started: I don’t usually count things I haven’t started yet in the WIP category, for fear of an unmanageably teetering pile! I will say I’ve considered writing a Broadchurch oneshot, and I have a couple extra Endeavour bits ‘n’ bobs (some TBS “behind the scenes” and some more canon compliant) rattling about.

Do you accept prompts: Sure! I’ve never really gotten one, but I’m open to it, as long as the bestower of the prompt is understanding about my very fickle muse (so I can’t necessarily commit to an idea, however much I may love it). Any fandom I’m currently active in would work, although probably Endeavour would be most likely to get written right now.

Upcoming story you are most excited to write: It’s probably a tie between Three Men and a Baby (Endeavour roommate shenanigans, which is almost done, actually) and A Shifting Cadence (more Morse/Joan, which should have a new chapter posted soon).

#personal #writer probs: fanfic edition

[shifty-as-a-swinging-trapeze]

Six of Crows Theatre AU

Kaz is the stage manager. Always has a notebook/binder and a criticism ready. Per Haskell is technically the director but everyone gets their notes from Kaz. He’s very demanding and a lot of theatre kids hate him, actors and crew alike, but you have to admit his shows are excellent. When he was a kid he used to go to musical summer camp with jordie. He loved singing and dancing and everything about musical theatre (just imagine a tiny eight year old Kaz flailing around trying to dance and singing in a voice thats high and clear as a bell, like a kid in a church choir or something. Just. Imagine). He doesn’t perform anymore but he still secretly loves theatre and devotes so much time to it but no one is allowed to mention it on pain of death. Once in a blue moon he’ll sing or hum quietly to himself when alone but Inej is the only one who has caught him doing it (she loved it and thought it was beautiful and adorable)

Inej is the choreographer/dance captain. She always choreographs the shows but only performs sometimes. She’s got a nice voice but prefers to stay in the background. She has a mishmash of dance/gymnastics training that often manifests in the form of acro and she’s constantly frustrated that none of the actors know anything about it; all she wants is someone who can lift her in the non-traditional way or do a fun front walkover combo. She knows ballet but it’s not her favorite and would much prefer modern if she had to choose. She hates tap and absolutely refuses to learn or incorporate it into her choreo. Kaz has had to hire someone specifically to do the tap numbers because of this and he gives her grief for it all the time but she Will Not change her mind. When she does perform she often becomes the most featured dancer because of all the crazy bendy flippy stuff she can do. She has been in newsies multiple times. She played spot conlon once. It was badass.

Nina cannot carry a tune in a bucket, but she’s an amazing actor. She absolutely kills it in straight plays, especially in highly emotional scenes. Has been known to bring audiences to tears before. She hasn’t been doing this since she was little, unlike many others, but first discovered it freshman year of high school. She absolutely despises Shakespeare even though she’s incredible at it. Juliet was her first major role and she hated every second of it. The language, the acting, it was all just so pretentious and after the curtain went down on a weeping crowd for the final time she vowed to never do it again. When not acting, she likes to help out in costumes, especially for her friends’ musicals. She’s also often on snack duty during tech week, making sure everyone is getting enough food and staying hydrated when they’re practicing throughout the day and into the night. Always brings in the best snacks but will yell at you if you eat in costume. Do not test her, she will throw hands.

Matthias is on set crew. He likes helping build the set because then he’s free to watch Nina everyone perform later on in production. Will sit in the back rows during dress rehearsals and flaunt the fact that he has nothing to do to the rest of the crows. If it’s a musical Nina will sometimes join him. He had no interest in theatre until Nina dragged him to a production at the end of sophomore year and he low key fell in love with the passion and skill everyone had. He shyly asked if he could join crew next time and set build welcomed him with open arms. He’s got a talent for envisioning awesome sets but has zero ability to put it on paper so Wylan helps him by sketching out his plans. Matthias describes his vision and Wylan does his best to put numbers and measurements to the pieces, and between the two of them they create some amazing stuff (Matthias is like the architect and Wylan is the engineer lol). No one has ever heard Matthias sing before. Nina tried to get him to audition once but he point blank refused. Everyone secretly thinks he has an amazing voice but no one can get him to confirm it.

Jesper is a born performer. He often gets the male lead but isn’t arrogant about it. When he was in elementary school his school would put on “musicals” that the entire grade would participate in and he put his entire five-year-old body into those performances. He was often borrowed by local high schools to play the kids in their productions and this continued into middle school, even when he started doing actual theatre as well. He’s got a great voice and an even better stage presence, but this boy cannot dance to save his life. He’s all leg. Inej has tried so hard but he trips trying to do the most basic step-ball-change. He doesn’t really like straight plays very much, they’re too boring for him most of the time. He wants the flair that musical theatre brings, the pizazz. (This is also partially the fault of his previous directors for choosing the most boringly traditional straight plays to put on, giving Jesper a permanently skewed perception of them).

Wylan plays flute in pit orchestra (I low key wrote this whole thing for him but shhh). His voice is fucking beautiful but he’s painfully shy and self-conscious about it. He does pit in every production but one year one of the main actors drops out and it’s too late to audition for a replacement. Wylan has everyone’s lines and blocking memorized because he’s just Like That and he often helps out Kaz earlier in production before pit is needed (by help I mean he ends up calling out lines whenever anyone needs them and Kaz is too busy squinting at the stage and the actors (scheming face) to bother) Kaz orders Wylan to fill in for the missing guy and though Wylan protests, one Cannot go against the word of Kaz Brekker. He does it and once he comes out of his shell everyone is just like. Damn. This boy can sing. Maybe ends up playing opposite Jesper?? His dad hates that he does theatre because he wants Wylan to be like an accountant or some shit but Wylan is basically like ‘fuck you dad’ and goes on a journey of self discovery where he gains confidence in his abilities and astounds everyone on opening night except for his friends who are so proud of him.

#yeah #kuwei is probably some weird freshman idk #ive only read soc so far so idk much about him yet #might expand on this more later #maybe after i finish ck #ask me questions about it in the meantime! #six of crows #crooked kingdom #kaz brekker #inej ghafa #nina zenik #matthias helvar #jesper fahey #wylan van eck #jan van eck #per haskell #headcanon #au #theatre #theatre au #musicals #dance #singing

[bakatenshii]

So in regards to that anon bringing up someone having a really similar looking blog to yours it just reminded me of like past general fandom chat of giving credit where it’s due in terms of inspo like skate rats wtc. And that stuff all made sense to me, i was like “yeah, plagiariasm.” But ngl i dont know where the line is with general blog aesthetics?

Because i feel like yours was the first one that i saw look the way it does and then (not in a bad way) a lot, if not most dark blogs/nsfw blogs started looking like yours. Im just talking about like the fancy text, mini header image and no pfp, a lot of blogs have similar pinned posts as well in terms of layouts and the mini text and bolding. But no one ever said anything so i was like 🤷‍♀️ but then i remember some people getting angry about headers being the same on posts? So idk where the line is at.

I dont produce content but i get nervous about revamping my mobile theme/desktop theme because i dont want to tread on people’s toes. Because from what i can gather the people who’s blogs all look the same all run in the same group so idk if its a case of, if you’re friends it’s cool but if you’re not friends, it isnt cool??

Hi my love!! Thank you so much for this ask, I really really appreciate how respectful and frankly a lil (v. pleasantly) surprised at how in depth it is hahahaha so thank you! <33

this is so long warning in advance I’m so sorry omg

Personally for me, it’s not as much friends being ‘okay’ because they’ve got a free pass to it but more so that between friends there’s always communication involved and a mutual understanding/respect for each others respective themes, if that makes sense?

If a friend of mine’s done something really cool that I hadn’t seen before or I really like something that’s very specific to their theme aesthetic, I’ll always ask if they mind me taking it and maybe throwing my own spin on it. I’ve had friends ask me if I’d mind if they pink-edit manga panels for their headers (even tho they rly didn’t need to because it’s super generic!) so it’s really all about that communication ya know?

If it’s someone I’m not friends with, I don’t know whether it’s a pure coincidence (which, once again— none of my concepts are Unique!) or if they were inspired. Neither of them are bad, it’s just a different dynamic in my opinion.

I’ll use my own blog as example to explain I guess where I personally would draw the line!

Like I keep saying, nothing I do is truly unique. I’m so so honoured and beyond flattered that you said I’m the first blog that you saw looked like this, and tbh I hadn’t seen blogs with a similar aesthetic to mine back then either.

That said, my view is super tunneled and I only see a fraction of the fandom and an even smaller fraction of this site! So chances are someone with a similar blog aesthetic as me is more than likely and entirely a coincidence.

If you seperate it everything on my blog, it’s all generic— pink themes are generic beyond generic. Pink manga edits are generic. Old English is everywhere, and also just a very generic font. Hentai caps used in headers? Also nothing new or noteworthy. But to me, it’s the combination of generic aesthetics that’s unique. Everyone’s mishmash of generic is tailored to them and their brand.

It’s difficult to draw a hard line anywhere, unless of course it’s a carbon copy in which case is obvious. I think! Think about how integral something is to someone’s aesthetic. Is it just a general colour theme that’s the same? Or is it headers being edited specifically one certain way?

Shoot them a message if you’re worried! Most likely than not they’ll be incredibly appreciative and not mind ♡︎♡︎

#urusai! baka #sometimes I /do/ get a lil upset when I see someone with a lot of similarities to my blog #but there’s nothint I can do! #coincidences are just that and even if it’s inspired it’s so generic it’s nothing I really /can/ be upset over #like I don’t rly have the right to it ya know? #I hope this made sense! I lit waffles for like 800 words I’m so sorry #I rly can’t answer things short can I smh sigh #I hope this answers your question tho? maybe cleared a few things up? #again these are jusy my personal opinions #I’m sure there are loads of people out there with diff thoughts #I can understand people being upset at their header style being copied entirely (if thats the case!) #mine arent special so not mine but like a lot of blogs have very particular edits that are super unique to their blog #the way i kinda gauge it is if i look at it and go— oh thats xyz’s blog— solely by the header/or blog layout #and then someone else were to be mistaken for that blog #maybe I’d shoot a dm if it’s that similarn #this is a lil obnoxious but the ~vibe~ of the blog’s also important #if that makes any sense??? #aesthetically it can look similar but sometimes a blog’s just got a vastly diff vibe to jt #that distinguishes it #I guess no one can rly police/gatekeep it bcos you Cant draw a hard line anywhere #no one wants to be like addison cain #LMAOOOOOO

[fromtheringapron]

WWE WrestleMania XXVI

Date: March 28, 2010.

Location: University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. 

Attendance: 72,219.

Commentary: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, and Matt Striker. 

Results:

1. WWE Unified Tag Team Championship Match: ShoMiz (The Miz and Big Show) (champions) defeated R-Truth and John Morrison 

2. Triple Threat Match: Randy Orton defeated Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr. 

3. Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Jack Swagger defeated Christian, Drew McIntyre, Dolph Ziggler, Evan Bourne, Kofi Kingston, Kane, Montel Vontavious Porter, Matt Hardy, and Shelton Benjamin. 

4. Triple H defeated Sheamus. 

5. Rey Mysterio defeated CM Punk (with Serena and Luke Gallows).

6. No Holds Barred Lumberjack Match: Bret Hart defeated Vince McMahon. Bruce Hart was the special guest referee.

7. WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match: Chris Jericho (champion) defeated Edge. 

8. Layla, Alicia Fox, Maryse, Michelle McCool, and Vickie Guerrero defeated Kelly Kelly, Beth Phoenix, Mickie James, Gail Kim, and Eve Torres. 

9. WWE Championship Match: John Cena defeated Batista (champion) to win the title. 

10. No Disqualification Career vs. Streak Match: The Undertaker defeated Shawn Michaels. Per stipulation, Michaels retired.

My Review

WreslteMania XXVI is a difficult show to sum up. It’s a pretty good WrestleMania, but also one that happens to be all over the place in tone and focus. Perhaps its reflective of how indeterminate the future of the WWE felt at the start of the 2010s. The roster was such a mishmash of eras that you’d be forgiven of not having a clue where the hell the company was going. John Cena, Batista, and Randy Orton were at the top of the card after their rise to superstardom in the 2000s, but the spotlight was still shared guys who rose to stardom in the ‘90s like Triple H and The Undertaker. Then there was a new generation of talent—The Miz, Sheamus, Drew McIntyre, etc. — bubbling in the undercard who seemed poised to rocket into the top at any moment. But wait! Time was also given to  . . . the 13-year-old feud between Bret Hart and Vince McMahon?!? Suffice to say, with the show splintering off in so many different directions, it’s not surprising it has some misfires.

Let’s start with the good stuff, though. The main event between Undertaker and Shawn Michaels is fantastic and I’m gonna throw it out there that I like it more than their match from the previous year. The stakes feel higher, the suspense level feels higher, and there’s more of a story here than just Shawn needing to beat Taker. He puts his entire career is on the line here, for heaven’s sake! And speaking of his career, like many at the time, I didn’t have a clue this would be Shawn’s last match. Most on-screen wrestling retirements are never legit, so there was plenty of basis to believe this one would be no different. But alas, this one was different, and we get about as good a sendoff as we could’ve gotten for someone who’s been dubbed Mr. WrestleMania.

On another show, the WWE title match between John Cena and Batista would’ve been the main event. Their match here is great fun. It’s actually an end of an era for the two men who were crowned as the leaders of the next generation at WrestleMania five years earlier. Batista would move on to Hollywood shortly after this and, while certainly not his last WWE run, it would mark the end of his career as a full-timer. Interestingly enough, Batista was really coming into his own as a heel at the time of his departure, even winning over fans who previously couldn’t stand him. He would resurrect his heel run in 2014 and 2019, again only for a short spell. A shame we haven’t been able to spend much time with arrogant heel ‘Tista and his impeccable designer fashion, but then I guess that’s what makes it so special.

As for what doesn’t work, I probably don’t need to go into much detail about the Bret/McMahon clash. The basics of the story are solid — Bret gets his long-awaited revenge on McMahon, with his family right by his side. It’s just not super fun to watch in execution, however well-meaning it may be. They match is dragged out much longer than it should and it takes the crowd completely out of it. Another misfire is the Money in the Bank match. This would be the final iteration of the match at WrestleMania before it becomes its own pay-per-view. It’s clear the concept needs some rejuvenation by this point as it’s now a lazy, bloated affair where everyone gets in their allotted number of spots and there are way too many participants. To cap it all off, the ill-advised decision is made to push Jack Swagger into the main event scene, an idea which would run out of gas in a matter of months.

The show seems to have some weird pacing issues as well. In the era of the Network, I’ve grown so accustom to Manias being stretched to the point of exhaustion, so it’s always little odd to go back and watch one that feels like it doesn’t have enough time. It’s almost like it’s struggling to figure out how spread out time across a card so stacked. The tag opener and Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk feel like abridged versions of the matches we would’ve otherwise gotten, while Bret vs. McMahon gets more time than either combined. Even Money in the Bank feels somewhat rushed. I’m definitely not a huge fan of WrestleMania becoming a seven-hour event, and WWE has proven they struggle with time management on longer Manias, but this is one show where it seems an extra hour absolutely would’ve been to its benefit.

At its best, WrestleMania XXVI is a nice sampler plate of eras, even if struggles to give you equal portions for all of them. The multi-generational makeup of the card ensures there’s a little something for everyone and even closes the books on a couple of legendary careers. You’re bound to dislike some it but for better or worse, and this is a cheeseball thing to say, it definitely puts the “showcase” in the Showcase of the Immortals.

My Random Notes

No joke, I really did not think this would be it for HBK and even seriously thought Taker’s streak was in jeopardy. Am I a fool for thinking that? Maybe, but I like that wrestling conned into believing it in a way it hardly ever does anymore.

I feel like the temple entrance set is something that should’ve been more impressive than it is in actuality. They just stacked LED screens on top of each other and just rolled with it. It looks like something from Minecraft.

Ah, this show reinvigorates my fond feelings for Matt Striker. Such a handsome chap! Not surprising at all he would appear on a Bachelor ripoff a whole decade later.

I chuckled at Bruce Hart being the special guest referee for Bret vs. McMahon. You just know he huffed and puffed his way into that one, much to Bret’s annoyance.

I also chuckled at Diana Hart-Smith walking down to the ring with her best “evil, vindictive femme fatale on the cover of a pulp novel” look. God bless her. She needs to write another book.

I know Rey singing Happy Birthday to his daughter is meant to be a heart-warming thing but if I were a kid in the same situation, I would be traumatized. Just think of how uncomfortable it is when a room full of people is signing at you and then think of enduring that in an arena filled with thousands of people. CM Punk did her a huge favor by crashing the moment, as far as I’m concerned.

Not saying anything new here, but the whole Spear thing with Edge is cringe as hell and it’s for the best that it’s been forgotten in the annals of his career.

I know some people like to mock Vickie Guerrero doing Eddie’s frog splash, but I personally thought it was a sweet moment while staying true to comedically heel Vickie.

The official theme song to this Mania is “I Made It” by Kevin Rudolf. A time-period appropriate choice, I must say. I feel like the dawn of the 2010s is the only time a Kevin Rudolf could be a success.

I identify myself as someone who will always be more embarrassed by John Cena haters than Cena himself and I gotta say him posing next to the guys in the front row hating his guts is fucking hilarious. Cena is funny sometimes when he just straight-up trolls.

On the Legacy fallout: The storytelling for this was weird as hell. Am I the only who remembers that one time on Raw where they teased Ted turning face and the crowd was actually kinda into it? Then they completely abandoned it for whatever reason and just had Randy be the breakout face (as if he needed it) and dunk on both Cody and Ted at WrestleMania. I feel like Cody’s AEW origin story more or less began here.

Awwwwe, this show has little baby Drew McIntyre. It’s so interesting watching this with the benefit of hindsight. I remember a lot of people Not Feeling It when he was anointed as the Chose One, and truthfully I wasn’t feeling it at the time either, but watching it back really makes you appreciate how much hard work he put in to get to where he’d be a decade later. A lot of folks were dreading the inevitable Drew world title run in 2010. The title run did happen, but it was much later and much more welcome than anyone back than anyone could’ve imagined.

#wrestlemania #wwe network #the undertaker #john cena

[fatestruck]

💘 + zack and breanah

Dating Headcanons | Accepting

---

where they first met and how

The grocery store. Breanah broke a jar of cranberry sauce and then went on a rant about it and Zack just stood there and let her go on. Bless.

how long their ‘flirting’ phase was before feelings got involved

I really don’t think either knew flirting was happening? I mean they knew but uh...there definitely was a lot of not flirting flirting. I think feelings happened before the flirting was realized

who fell for who first ( if applicable )

I want to say Bre, because she will fall hard and fast, but this might have been Zack

where their first date was and what it was like

Breanah’s place, if she held true to form, she offered to feed Zack and he accepted and then she kept feeding him.

who asks who out and how ( with a sign? spelled out on a cake? just a simple ‘will you go out with me’? )

Breanah, she sort of demanded he go out with her/come over for dinner to make up for interrupting Zack time. And then also offering to at the very least show him hers. 

who proposes first

Zack, he does a lot of preparation for it and prepares for Breanah to reject him (spoiler alert: She does not!)

if they keep / kept their relationship secret or let everyone know right away

It wasn’t a secret per se but like it was on the DL because of a mutual acquaintance between the two of them. But like the important people (i.e Izzy) found out right away.

where the proposal happens and how ( kiss cam at a baseball game? on a hillside surrounded by ducks? at a disney park? )

OKAY SO. There’s a lot of mental prep for it on Zack’s part and it comes out sort of in the same way that their family planning went - “wanna get married?” and Breanah who is busy doing something like cleaning the dishes or the dogs just says “sure” and then later when Zack’s like “Wait that’s not how I wanted it to happen” he redoes it without it sounding like a casual question. There may be a jar of cranberry sauce involved.

if they adopt any pets together

Breanah comes with two dogs so they may adopt one more later

who’s more dominant

Bre tries to be more dominant but it’s really Zack. And Breanah likes being told what to do sexually so as soon as she’s on the same page, it’s Zack’s show, Bre’s just a part of it.

where their first kiss was and what it was like

It was at some sort of gathering and part of me wants to say a lot of it was orchestrated by Izzy without locking them in a closet but I can only imagine that they played something like truth or dare or spin the bottle because Izzy was feeling “nostalgic”

if they have any matching couples stuff ( mugs? sweaters? pillowcases? )

Nope! Maybe like pillowcases but that just comes with the bed set?

how into pda they are

Not very! Breanah is moreso when she’s territorial but she’ll do small things like hold his hand or like small kisses. 

who holds the umbrella when it rains

Zack because he’s taller

where their usual ‘date spot’ is ( if applicable )

The couch! A lot of dates ended up with them falling asleep on the couch. Not for lack of trying but they Netflixed and Chilled by legit chillin

who’s more protective

Zack is. He is more silently protective versus Breanah

how long it is before they sleep together ( can be as in ‘had sex’ or as in ‘shared a bed’ )

It takes them actually getting into the relationship for anything to happen and even then, maybe six months? Breanah learned how to romance before putting out which is the takeaway from this

if they argue about anything

Breanah working and not in the Zack has to be the only breadwinner but because she will run herself ragged if nobody says anything

who leaves more marks ( lipstick, hickeys, scratchmarks etc. )

It’s equal. Zack definitely leaves more hickeys but Bre has left scratchmarks and lipstick stains. (If we’re talking Dujour verse, Bre DEFINITELY does this)

who steals whose clothes and how often

Breanah takes Zack’s clothes, mostly his shirts and sometimes his hoodies

how they cuddle ( spooning? facing each other? )

They spoon

what their favourite nonsexual activity is

Naps

how long they stay mad at each other

Hmmm I think Zack holds it more than Bre does

what their usual coffee / tea orders are

Breanah’s coffee is usually more creamer than coffee. Zack would not surprise me if he took it black

if they ever have any children together

Yah, Penelope! And then probably a second one later down the line because why stop at one? 

if they have any special pet names for each other

No?

if they ever split up and / or get back together

Their splits are at different times because Breanah’s afraid of Zack breaking up with her because she’s “too much” and then Zack thinking he’s not good enough for her but then they get back together but like obviously these are reasons for arguments that lead to them making up

what their shared living space is like ( messy? clean? what kind of decor? )

It’s cleaner than one would expect. Decor is a mishmash of “oh that looks cute!” 

what their first christmas / hanukkah / etc as a couple was like

Zack had formally met Breanah’s parents that same holiday so it was a lot of her dad razzing him and Breanah and her mom trying to make it stop.

what their names are in each other’s phones

Breanah has Zack listed as Zack, Zack has Breanah as Bre

if they have any ‘couple traditions’ ( buying a new mug for their collection every year? baking every friday evening? )

They don’t have any ‘couple traditions’

who falls asleep first and who wakes up first

Zack falls asleep first depending on the day but Bre wakes first

who’s the big spoon / little spoon

Zack is usually the big spoon but Breanah will take it sometimes because Zack deserves to be spooned

who hogs the bathroom

Breanah is more likely to, but she usually doesn’t.

who kills the spiders / takes them outside

 It’s all Zack. What he does with them is his business.

#meme ( answered ) #Breanah;Zack ( netflix and chill ) #infinitelonging

[risoris]

rotbtd band au (part 2)

[i didn’t expect that much people to actually like the first part??? aaa thank you guys]

for a major label like M.O.O.N. Records, they impose very few restrictions in their contract; beside the royalty and press/public relations stuff, the four is allowed a lot of creative freedom to make whatever they want

which is great, but the lack of direction also feel like the company doesn't know what to make of them; like they're just being put in the backburner until proven to be worth the spotlight

Jack is the most pissed about this; why choose them if M.O.O.N. won't even tell what vision it has for the band?? they're still green dammit, they at least need a nudge in the right direction for this to work

both Hiccup and Rapunzel agree that the low expectation is disheartening, but tries to placate: yeah it sucks but they are still green, and it's probably better to take this slowly--there's no guarantee they could take the sudden strain of following a tight deadline followed by M.O.O.N.'s notoriously long promotion for its popular musicians

(Merida's iffed at the treatment too, but she's too ecstatic abt the whole can do whatever they want thing to give further care)

so the band ease into it, churning out possible new songs for an album between practices and bigger (but not major) gigs

their first work under the label end up being an EP of five songs. the opening is the polished version of the first song they made together, back in their Aster's basement days

the rest of the mini-album is a mishmash of songs that somehow don't sound weird when lined up together: 1) a love song that might or might not be just about someone who's really terrified of going to the dentist, 2) a cover of The Chordettes' Mr. Sandman, 3) another love song (that's really just a censored version of the scrapped "Giant Bunny Foo Foo"), and 4) a freaking. christmas song that's mostly about wanting to break into Santa's workshop

(Jack's been making jokes abt writing songs based on the folks who live in his apartment building for years. The lyrics come out more thoughtful if you don't know any better, and the three decided, eh why not, let's make it sound good as well, as a thanks for Tooth, Sandy, Aster and North; after all Jack's friends are some of the very few people that helped the band to become what they are now)

the EP's titled "Toothfairy" like its second song and the cover art is just. a cropped, zoomed-in picture of Jack's lower face and his white teeth; it could've passed as a toothpaste commercial if only he wasn't grimacing

there's actually a more professional cover design chosen before that, but then Merida came across this old photo of Jack, drugged beyond belief after his dental surgery at Tooth's clinic and the other two went ohmygod its perfect let's go with this one

the EP is received with positive reviews (Aster is NOT amused by this) and the promotions went well. They even made it to the Top 50 charts. before long the four starts getting more offers to perform as opening act for A-list artists; they always left the stage with more fans afterwards

They’re still small compared to other M.O.O.N. artists, but hey, they've only just started and so far it's been good, and their fanbase is growing. they'll get there

the band produced three singles after the EP, and by that time they have gained the reputation of promising newcomer that actually sounds fantastic live. Things are looking up.

when they finally blew up, however, it's mainly thanks to Toothless

#rotbtd #rise of the brave tangled dragons #jack frost #merida #rapunzel #hiccup horrendous haddock III #band au #this bit ended up being more rotg-centric than i intended lol #jack's tragic backstory has no place in this au but MiM's bad management sure does #i have ZERO knowledge of music and how the music industry works btw i just like to listen so cmiiw #and heads up people this is gen #there will be no romance except for the canon pairings

[gamersonthego]

GOTG Review - Banner of the Maid

Banner of the Maid (Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC) Release Date: PC - May 27, 2019 | Console - August 12, 2020 Developer: Azure Flame Studio, CE-Asia Co., Ltd.

Banner of the Maid is a strategy RPG cribbing a lot from classics of the genre like Fire Emblem and Final Fantasy Tactics. But it also has a lot of interesting ideas of its own that prominent SRPG developers like Intelligent Systems should absolutely learn from and incorporate into their future games.

Banner is set during an alternate history French Revolution, a time of political turmoil that has your character, Pauline Bonaparte (sister to Napoleon), being pulled in many directions by the different factions within France. There are the Royalists, led by King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, the military-focused Feuillants, the citizens of Paris and more. Pauline is a rising young military general, but she is also thought to be a Maid, one of a number of women blessed with extraordinary abilities who could shape the future of the country. This makes you quite the hot commodity among the factions, and your choices on who to support can affect how you’re viewed and treated by the others…sort of.

While there is potential in this system, in practice, it’s quite shallow, with few actual choices to make. You’ll end up supporting all the different factions as you progress through the story regardless and your only rewards are tiny bonuses like getting the opportunity to buy slightly better gear or getting a bit more money from finishing missions. There aren’t really any drawbacks either. Even when the king is put to the guillotine (spoiler alert if you didn’t take a history class) your potential connection to the Royalists never once raises suspicion. Thematically, the idea is cool, but it could’ve gone a lot deeper.

Being an SRPG, the real focus is on the combat, which is…fine. While there are a number of different classes, they all fall into one of six categories. Line infantry are your basic musket wielders and are strongest when fighting together. Light infantry uses longer range rifles to attack from safer positions. Artillery fights from even further away, but can’t retaliate against close-range enemy attacks. And there are two types of cavalry, light and heavy: the first being faster while the other is bulkier. And lastly are support units who can heal or grant units the ability to take an additional turn.

If you’re familiar with Fire Emblem’s famous weapon triangle, it’s basically represented here, but more as a class diamond (you can see it in the top right of the image above. Light infantry beats line infantry, which beats heavy cavalry, which beats light cavalry, which beats light infantry. Artillery and support are their own thing, but that’s kind of it. There are no flying or naval units and attack ranges are quite short, making battles a bit dull and basic. To spice things up a little, on lower difficulties you are given a choice between two bonuses for each battle. Some of these can really break the game (especially the one that ups all your characters’ damage by 30 points), but it does provide some excitement for each skirmish, which I quite enjoyed.

The units you control are pretty cool too, with cute, anime-style boys and girls of every stripe being represented, from a lush with cannon, to a grumpy veteran, to a little drummer girl, to the damn princess of France herself. Each character has their own exclusive skill, along with slots for four additional skills determined by their class. Some of these skills are earned with level-ups, while others can be taught at the Ecole Militaire training school. Most classes are also able to promote to better classes, but the system is way more rigid than Fire Emblem, only allowing promotion when you’ve maxed out your level. The upgraded classes rarely actually change the abilities of your characters, instead just giving them some extra stats.

While the classes are largely uninteresting, the best part of Banner of the Maid is undoubtedly the weapon system, which has struck the perfect balance between strategy and fun. As much as I love Fire Emblem, I cannot stand its use of weapons with limited uses. I end up hoarding the best weapons so as not to “waste” them, but then never end up using them at all. Some Fire Emblem games let you repair weapons, but those opportunities are either very rare or very tedious (like in Fire Emblem Three Houses.) Banner of the Maid also has weapons with limited uses, but they automatically resupply after each battle. This makes for interesting strategic choices in the moment, but doesn’t bog you down with upkeep between maps and lets you enjoy your coolest stuff more often. I NEED this for the next Fire Emblem game.

What I don’t need is the presentation, which is, unfortunately, a little all over the place. The character portraits are quite pretty, even though most of the female cast is supernaturally and unnecessarily well-endowed. Their pixelated incarnations during battles are also very well designed, as are the maps themselves. What isn’t great is the lack of variety in animations. Each time a character attacks, there’s a slow, boring animation of one line of soldiers firing or charging at another with very little personality. While I keep combat animations on in games like Fire Emblem and Pokemon, I turned them off in Banner of the Maid as soon as possible.

The view is also just a little too far away in battles, with no way to zoom in or out. It’s not terrible when played on a huge, 70-inch TV, but in handheld mode, it can make it really hard to determine the attack ranges of enemies on some terrain types or how much health an enemy has left.

For all its rough edges, I’m actually really enjoying my time with Banner of the Maid. It’s a little odd to see a game with Chinese voice acting (Azure Flame Studio is based in China) and English subtitles that has a French setting, but it’s a weird mishmash that just kind of works. You can tell it was made with a lot of passion and a lot of thought, if not a lot of resources, but that’s part of its charm. It might not be revolutionary in the SRPG genre, but I really do hope some of its lessons take hold.

#banner of the maid #nintendo switch

[moonlights-shadow-warrior]

Hi, I’ve been following you for a hot minute and wanted to ask about how you define your asexuality and gray-romanticness. I am a poly/pan trans-guy trying to wrap my head around it and from your posts you always seem super nice and down to earth. Sorry if this is a weird question ^~^’

Ngl your ask did catch me off guard, although that was mostly due to the fact that a) I never get asks, and b) I rarely post my own stuff or comment on others’ posts so the fact that you said I seem nice and down to earth ‘cause of my posts threw me for a bit of a loop. Sweet though, and I’m glad I come off that way even though my blog is really just a mishmash of things I like and that catch me eye

Now as for your question

TL:DR Defining my asexuality means I don’t feel sexual attraction towards others (never have in my almost 23 years of life) and it honestly kinda confuses me simply because it’s something I’ve never experienced before and when others talk about it I just don’t get it

As for my greyromanticism, it’s more a transitional term as over the years I went from having loads and loads of crushes (I think) as a kid to now where I haven’t had a crush for multiple years as I move closer and closer to being aro ‘cause of some trauma that happened in my life. Same trauma is part of why gender does make a difference in my attraction now

Gonna start this off with some backstory saying I used to identify as bisexual, then pansexual, ‘cause I’d never heard of asexuality before and gender didn’t really play a part in my like for someone. And from the terms I knew, those seemed like the obvious choice at the time. But I also didn’t really,,, get it when some of my friends talked about how hot a person was or their list of actors they wanted to bone (and just celebrity crushes in general now that I think about it, although that could’ve very easily been due to the fact I can’t for the life of me remember who’s who in the realm of Hollywood). I’d just sorta nod along and listen ‘cause hey, people are different and just ‘cause we’re both pan doesn’t mean our experiences are exactly the same

Now at this time I was reading a lot—and I mean a lot—of fanfics ‘cause of escapism and all that jazz. And in one fic I came across there was a character—my favorite character—that was ace. When it got mentioned I didn’t think much of it ‘cause it was just ‘oh cool new term I haven’t heard before’. But then it was explained not only what asexuality was, but also what sexual and romantic attraction were—with examples for each of them—and how they didn’t always line up for some people. And it just

Clicked

I did a bit more research on it, reading things that other aces had posted talking about being ace, and it felt like it just fit me

It’s probably been close to 7 years since I last read that fic, but it was explained something like this

Have you ever looked at someone and wanted to fool around with them, maybe take a tumble in the sheets, but would never want to date them? That’s sexual attraction

And have you ever looked at someone and had your heart flutter and just wanted to go on dates and maybe kiss them but you wouldn’t describe them as sexy and the thought of having sex with them either didn’t cross your mind or made your stomach turn? Romantic attraction

And feeling the latter without the former? Well you might just be ace

Of course this isn’t a universal thing for those under the ace umbrella, but it worked for me and helped me realize something about myself

I don’t feel sexual attraction, which was why all those times my friends talked about how sexy someone was or who was on their f list, it felt like a foreign concept to me and the most I could say to relate was “well they are cute”

As for my greyromanticism, that one’s not as clear cut. Also cw for bad parenting and divorce/bad breakups basically idk

Like I said above, I used to get a lot of crushes as a kid. Looking back, were they all actually crushes or just me thinking a person looked cute? Who knows, but I’m pretty sure there were some

Walking in late only to see the new kid sitting there and immediately my heart rate picked up and I had trouble looking directly at them without blushing? Then picking up an instrument that they played just to try and be seated next to them in band class even though I had no idea what I was doing and had barely talked to them before?

Crush

Get partnered with someone for one assignment and then always trying to sneak glances at them out of the corner of my eye and it just so happens that they ended up in a lot of my photos of my middle school DC field trip?

Crush

Playing spin the faygo just for the chance to make out with one person ‘cause they’re hella cute and within an hour of knowing each other we immediately linked hands and threaded our fingers together while walking around?

Crush

Just as a few examples. Also I was shy and didn’t know how to socialize, which didn’t help at all in the creepiness factor

Now could some of my crushes have actually been just me becoming attached to someone who was nice to me one (1) time? Maybe, who knows, not me

Like I said above, me identifying as greyro is more transitional as I move closer and closer to identifying as aromantic ‘cause of trauma. Was I actually always arospec but just hadn’t heard of the terms like with asexuality? I don’t know because only after everything did I come across the term and my memory is so poor that I can’t properly recall the feelings I experienced. Even the above may not be accurate because my memory’s so spotty and my mind likes to insert things that never actually happened or are wildly different from what everyone else remembers

Which sucks but I digress

So that trauma I keep mentioning. As a child that had to deal with a rough divorce, it can bring on a whole slew of issues, some of which relate to relationships. I called my parents’ divorce almost a decade before it actually happened, and watching it go downhill to the point they could barely stand to be in the same room was rough. Not only that, but I had to give relationship advice to my father, from saying that he should go through with the divorce to giving my opinion on who he should date and if he should break it off or power through a rough spot or not come home for the night. Needless to say, all that warped my perception just a bit

And while that was happening, I had to deal with my own rocky high school relationships

While I haven’t dated a lot of people, a lot of the breakups were bad. Maybe not bad right away and we’d continue on being friends afterwards, but down the line something would happen where they’d either drop all contact or blow up at me without me knowing why or realizing something was off in the first place. And paired with the after effects of the divorce, it was a bad combination

But the golden lining was a breakup so terrible that it caused my datemate to hallucinate and go into such a depressive state that I’m pretty sure the after effects still influence how they act today when it comes to relationships. The four of us talked about moving in together, having a double wedding and all that. But then one left out of the blue and the other became harder and harder to contact until there was no response. And that all happened less than a month after I finally ran away from all the bs of the divorce and my father asking for relationship advice and being dropped so suddenly after what I thought was a good breakup

And after that I can only pinpoint 2 maybe crushes around the same time less than a year later

So yeah, traumatic

But I didn’t identify as greyro yet, because I hadn’t heard of the term

But even then I told my datemate that if we broke up I will never be in another romantic relationship after them because of everything. Because I didn’t really believe in love anymore

But I didn’t identify as greyro yet, even when I had heard of the term

I thought, nah, that’s not me, because I still thought I had crushes, as few and far between as they were. Because I didn’t know there were other kinds of attraction

And then my datemate asked if I had a crush on this one person, and I said no, and I realized that was the truth. I hadn’t had a crush on them. I wanted to hold their hand and cuddle and maybe give light pecks, protect them as best I could, but it wasn’t romantic. It wasn’t the same feelings as what I remember feeling in my childhood, what I feel towards my datemate

I had a squish, and once I realized that things started making a bit of sense. There were people I wanted to hold their hand, laze around in a cuddle pile to be close to them, maybe give them quick innocent pecks because I’m touch starved and want affection. But never were the feelings romantic

If that trauma had never happened, would I still say I’m panromantic instead of bi greyromantic? Who knows, not me

But what I do know is that if something were to happen and my datemate and I were to split, that the single romantic attraction I have felt in years was severed, I’d full on say I’m aro because they are my exception

My greyromanticism is transitional. It’s not “I feel romantic attraction sparingly” or “have a hard time distinguishing platonic from romantic” or the other common definitions I’ve seen around, but rather “I used to feel romantic attraction all the time, but now only feel it towards one person and if that were to go away, I wouldn’t feel it at all”

Sometimes I doubt myself, thinking maybe I’m experiencing crushes and just don’t realize it or am in denial. But then I think about it again and tell my doubt to shut up because that’s wrong and I know it

And wow that was a lot and I’m pretty sure I spent ~4 hours writing this without realizing it. I hope this answered your question though!! Word vomiting like this helped me realize a few things myself

Also wow I need therapy more than I thought

#mail time #anonymous #ace #asexual #aro #aromantic #greyro #arospec #aspec #Anonymous

[adamwatchesmovies]

Hellraiser VII: Deader (2005)

Even without doing any research, you can tell Hellraiser: Deader began as an unrelated horror mystery and was retrofitted to "fit" in the franchise. That would be bad enough, but it’s not particularly interesting and the plot is completely non-sensical.

It’s about an investigative reporter named Amy Klein (Kari Wührer) who is sent to investigate a cult calling themselves "The Deaders". They kill themselves and are resurrected by their leader, Winter LeMarchand (Paul Rhys). Freaky stuff. Oh, and then Amy randomly finds the Lament Configuration box and Pinhead (Doug Bradley) shows up for two scenes.

This seventh entry in the Hellraiser feels like an experiment. "What's the minimum amount of effort we need to exert before fans give up? The previous films have already convinced me that only those in love with the series' concept and the kind of people who buy movies just to see them on their shelves (so you know, me) would keep returning to the pool of disappointment that is the Hellraiser series a whopping seven times. I have no idea where the puzzle box fits in this story. Amy just finds it in the hand of a dead girl, but where did SHE get it? Isn’t it some kind of ultra-rare artefact sought after all over the world? And the way it's connected to the Deaders cult is utter nonsense. Apparently, on top of being a portal to the realm of the Cenobites, it also acts like the Scarecrow’s fear gas and makes you face your worst fears? If I hadn’t been so bored watching the confusing main story, I would've been angry.

Let’s imagine you went into this film with no expectations whatsoever. Could it be entertaining then? Maybe but I wouldn’t bet on it. This plot is devoid of logic. I know if I was plagued with extensive nightmares who blurred the line between reality and fantasy I'd tell someone or at least ask for help? Wouldn't you seek medical attention after being attacked? It’s like our main character deleted all of her survival instincts

I also didn’t care for the abundant amount of cheap tricks used to “terrify” the audience. Is it just me, or does 90% of every horror movie whose female lead dive into revelations into her past include either a recent sexual assault or being molested as a child? The more I think about this movie, the more I dislike it. The ending, for instance. It makes your blood boil. Everything comes together into this mishmash of conspiracies, new revelations about the Cenobites, some lame kills, a key moment ripped right out of previous films in the series, and then a final note that makes you wonder why you bothered.

This is a badly written, confusing film with only a few "not terrible" elements. If I had to name some things I liked, I’d say two new Cenobites introduced. They look kind of cool. I'd also highlight what is either an extreme S&M Romanian subway/club, or an art show on wheels. Amy goes into this seedy place and it's got topless women dancing around, lesbians making out everywhere, guys chained up, full-frontal male nudity and most comical of all, a tattoo artist! They better hope the subway never makes any sudden stops!

I’ve said enough. Hellraiser: Deader is not memorable, or particularly good in any way whatsoever. Even if you’re a hardcore fan of Hellraiser, don’t even bother. It can't even be enjoyed ironically. (On DVD, February 28, 2015)

#Hellraiser #Hellraiser:Deader #Movies #Films #Reviews #Pinhead #Cenobites #FilmCriticism #HorrorMovies #HorrorFilms #RickBota #TimDay #NeilMarshallStevens #CliveBarker #DougBradley #KariWuhrer #PaulRhys #SimonKunz #2005Movies #2005Films

[sweetsmellosuccess]

The Best (and Worst) Films of 2019

In many ways, 2019 served as a crucible, and no more so, at least cinematically, than with the venerable superhero flick. After a deluge of big studio films on the subject of capes and spandex (the MCU includes 22 films since the 2008 release of Iron Man; the nascent DCU, running it fits and starts has seven), we saw the explosive close-out of the previous “phases” with Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame; as well as the rise of pseudo art-house comic book film, Joker, in the same bloody year.

The talk on Film Twitter  —  the living definition of ‘tempest in a teacup’ —  was all about those films, and Martin Scorsese’s now legendary take down of the genre by referring to the super hero films, collectively, as  “theme parks.” But in truth, there were many, many other films that came out during the year, some of them utterly brilliant, some of them ridiculously awful. Here are my picks for both, with some of what I wrote about them at the time in my review.

10. Avengers: Endgame

“There are so many small but noteworthy details -- opening the film with Traffic's "Dear Mr. Fantasy"; the name drops, and special shout-outs to comics' fans; the small character beats that allow each protagonist more than just a quip or two; the closing credits, which give singular notice to the stars who have been there from the beginning, and wisely do not use the signature Marvel trick of teasing out the next film, which gives the series, at last, a sense of real closure, if only temporary -- the film feels as if it has been created and calibrated with the utmost care. For a film destined to break the bank no matter how shoddy they might have made it, Marvel has poured enough genuine soul into it to earn its inevitable bounty.”

Full Review

9. Her Smell

“In some ways, the film takes on a sort of Raging Bull aspect, Martin Scorsese's classic film about a boxer's rise and fall, only to turn the ending on its head. In Scorsese's picture, we see Jake LaMotta, now fat and retired, attempt to break into showbiz as a comedian, the scenes draped in cutting sardonicism. Perry gives Becky a much less punishingly ironic turn, but instead a hero's journey, venturing away from the abyss into something a good deal less grandiose and realized.”

Full Review

8. The Last Black Man in San Francisco

“It's also a film about the versions of the stories whose ideas lend depth and valor to our otherwise nondescript lives, the things we hope make us the heroes of our own narratives. In this way, Jimmie's story is conflated with that of the city itself, and the palpable sense of loss he feels about his family's house is mirrored in the city's own loss of identity.”

Full Review

7. Under the Silver Lake

“Mitchell fairly stuffs the film with portents, symbols, and runes, some real, some imagined. Squirrels mysteriously fall dead at Sam's feet, a parrot in his courtyard keeps calling out something he can't decipher, a dog killer stalks the neighborhood, and graffiti strewn about the area calls out to him. Films are always encoded with symbolic meaning, utilizing visual language to instill emotion and establish significance for the audience (think of Spielberg's girl with the red coat in Schindler's List, or James Dean's red windbreaker in Rebel Without a Cause), Mitchell's film gives us so many options, almost everything can be read symbolically, which perfectly captures the paranoia his character feels, and the pointlessness of trying to make sense of it at all.”

Full Review

6. Marriage Story

“Noah Baumbach’s latest film, about the dissolution of married couple – played extraordinarily well by Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson – will no doubt get comparisons made to Bergman’s brilliant Scenes From a Marriage. But whereas that 1972 film concerned the relationship itself, its highs and lows and metamorphoses, Baumbach’s film is much more about the logistics, legal and otherwise, of ending a very much shared life together.”

Capsule Review

5. Midsommar

“Viewing Aster's films is a bit like walking into an art installation -- quite literally, as he populates his frame with stunning compositions and art-focused mise en scene, as with the beautifully designed wooden structures of the compound, or the exquisite murals and art displayed on the building's walls (a huge shout-out to his production designer, Henrik Svensson, and the art directing crew) -- but, as with Hereditary, behind all the sumptuous, hand-crafted beauty, there is a cruel, brutal core of humanity's continued savagery. If art represents the best sort of impulses of humankind, in Aster's hands, it becomes yet another facade, hiding -- or in this case, exemplifying -- our instinct for vicious barbarity.”

Full Review

4. Parasite

“By the end, as it swerves inexorably into blood-soaked violence, the film reveals to be a bit of a con itself, drawing us in with its enticing humor, then opening up into a much darker vision, before ending on an emotional note of surprising vulnerability. Through it all, Bong shows a mastery of odd tones, from the opening comedic salvo, to the final emotional beats.”

Capsule Review

3. Uncut Gems

“It’s one of those pressure-cooker films, where the steam builds more and more intense as Howard gets in and out of trouble through his ability to constantly shift the playing board. There’s a scene about midway through, with various aggrieved characters coalescing at once in his office, as he’s trying to have a speaker phone conversation with his doctor, that’s so stressful, you will want to avert your eyes and remind yourself of the exit signs.”

Capsule Review

2. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

“It's also an unexpected joy to watch the nonchalant swagger of Pitt match up with DiCaprio's more high-strung ministrations. Two of the biggest film stars alive playing mostly washed up TV actors may stack the irony, but both of them settle in so well into their characters, you can't help but admire the result. Rick is a dude whose ego has gone from tumescent to shriveled -- he parks his car miserably in front of one of his own old movie posters -- but beneath all his hubris and despair, he actually has a lot of talent. As always, it's pure joy to watch Pitt smoke up a screen, a middle-aged Redford speaking every line with a sinfully breezy smile, whose confidence extends around him like the golden hue of his deep suntan.”

Full Review

1. Knives Out

“More than the plot itself, an ingenious and kinetic thing that's as satisfying as a hot bowl of soup on a raw and windy day, there's the sense of joyous chaos from the cast. Those scenes where the family is all together, in the drawing room and continually at each other's throats are so delicious, they should come with a napkin. The interplay between vets like Shannon, Johnson, Curtis and Collette is filled with fractious energy, the characters revisiting age-old disagreements ("Your kid's a brat!" -- "Your kid is a Nazi!") with sadistic glee. Even when they band together, in moments, against what they believe to be a common enemy, it's clear the harmony between them is more Iggy and the Stooges than Beach Boys. In short, Johnson has devised a perfect ensemble of dreadful characters and set them all against one another in a narrative fishbowl filled with lye.”

Full Review

Other Worthy Mentions:

Amazing Grace, American Factory, Apollo 11, Bacurau, Birds of Passage, Charlie Says, Cold Case Hammarskjöld, Dark Suns, Dark Waters, Ford v Ferrari, Greener Grass, In Fabric, John Wick 3, Jojo Rabbit, Luce, Midnight Traveler, Ms. Purple, Pain and Glory, Rewind, Something Else, Terminator: Dark Fate, The Farewell, The Hole in the Ground, The Irishman, The Lighthouse, The Nightingale, The Report, The Souvenir, The Vast of Night, This is Not Berlin, Us, Varda by Agnes, Vitalina Varella

Best Upcoming Releases of 2019

The Personal History of David Copperfield

The Burnt Orange Heresy

Bad Education

First Cow

The Worst Films of 2019

5. Greta

“In short, Jordan turns Greta into a Michael Myers-esque boogeyman, everywhere and no place at once, almost a phantom, but for her high heels and French condemnation. In this way, the filmmaker loses his grip on his material.”

Full Review

4. Ma

“Apart from a truly absurd script, director Tate Taylor's film performs ungainly political gyrations -- asking us to root against a survivor of sexual abuse and humiliation for trying to gain (albeit misplaced) revenge on her attacker. Sort of a rape-revenge thriller set upside down, such that nothing makes any ethical (or emotional) sense. It quickly becomes an awkward mishmash of impulses, wanting to provide cheap scares while fostering a deeply schizoid sense of sympathy, while managing to fail mightily at both.”

Full Review

3. The Dead Don’t Die

“Jarmusch's proclivities have always leaned toward such lightly affecting material -- as if the act of actually generating emotion is somehow vulgar and unseemly -- which has also endeared him to his faction of fans. For everyone else, though, it doesn't leave much to look at. Filmed without fanfare (albeit with a few more special effects than usual, and a kind of cool splattering of sand-like mist when the zombies are beheaded), and with the intensity knobs all turned down to their lowest setting, he continues his sous vide-style of filmmaking. Whether you like the dish he's serving, or want to throw your hands in the air and go somewhere else for dinner is all in your temperament. Whatever you choose, you can be certain the same menu will be available the next time you venture back.”

Full Review

2. Dark Phoenix

“The clearest loss, however, is with the story itself -- its legacy struck deep in Marvel lore -- once again being studio nitpicked, and focus-grouped to within an inch of its life. If Endgame audaciously proved a superhero movie could rise toward an emotionally satisfying arc, this failed attempt proves the opposite is also true: Chronic incoherence, even if spread out among a multitude of titles over 20 years, just feels like a soulless money grab. Adding to the sense of this film's slapdashery, the trailer features lines and moments unused in the actual cut, which is never a good sign.”

Full Review

1. Lucy in the Sky

“The film is meandering and pretty much pointless, a major flaw that Hawley himself indicated in his introduction (“we work as hard on the bad ones as we do the good ones,” he told the audience in an example of supreme foreshadowing. Portman does her best, but the film sputters pretty hard, and is never able to justify itself.”

Capsule Review

Other Dishonorable Entries:

The Aftermath, The Curse of La Llorona, Gemini Man, Glass, Hellboy, Joker

Inexplicably Overrated: Joker, The Dead Don’t Die

Biggest Welcome Surprise(s): Ford v Ferrari, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Most Bitter Disappointment(s): The Lodge, Wounds

Film That Critics Got Wrong: Waves

Best Film I Saw Last Year, Period: Scenes From a Marriage

#sweet smell of success #ssos #piers marchant #films #movies #the best and worst films of 2019 #knives out #parasite #once upon a time in hollywood #uncut gems #marriage story #the last black man in san francisco #midsommar #avengers: endgame #under the sliver lake #her smell